By far the most impressive of Denver’s 13 consecutive wins, this one came on the road, against a great team that was 30-4 at home, after overtime the previous night. Kevin Durant (34 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 2 BLK) and Russell Westbrook (25 PTS, 6 AST, 4 REB) got their numbers but Serge Ibaka (6 PTS, 2 REB, 3 BLK) had a rough night including an elbow to the head that limited him to 24 minutes. Ty Lawson (25 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST) led the Nuggets, with Andre Miller (20 PTS, 9 AST, 7 REB) celebrating his 37th birthday by playing like he was ten years younger. George Karl’s fast, deep team without an all-star has climbed all the way to third place in the West during the streak.
Other Tuesday Results
LAC @ SAC: Unbelievable. The Clippers not only blew an 8-point fourth-quarter lead, they lost by 15. Had I known DeMarcus Cousins (17 PTS, 11 REB) and Tyreke Evans (17 PTS, 5 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL) were both going to play, I might have given the Kings a slim chance. Nobody saw Toney Douglas coming; the backup guard (19 PTS, 7 AST) scored 17 points including three triples in the final 12 minutes. Marcus Thornton (25 PTS, 4 AST, 4 REB) bounced back from three quiet games, hitting six triples. For the stunned visitors, Chris Paul (11 PTS, 15 AST, 7 REB, 4 STL) missed eight shots and committed seven turnovers. Blake Griffin (26 PTS, 5 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL) and Jamal Crawford (25 PTS, 5-of-8 from downtown) can’t be faulted but there were defensive breakdowns galore.
ORL @ IND: Not much happened in this dull affair; the Magic shot less than 32% and nobody scored more than ten points. Maurice Harkless (10 PTS, 8 REB, 4 STL) is averaging 2.4 steals in March if you need late help in that category. Tyler Hansbrough (14 PTS, 14 REB) has now double-doubled in consecutive starts while David West (back) gets healthy. The Pacers weren’t exactly brilliant, shooting just 39%, but Paul George (19 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST) was needed for only 28 minutes. Gerald Green (15 PTS, 8 REB) had another nice game off the bench, hitting three triples. He has teased us before, so don’t get too excited.
POR @ MIL: That’s all she wrote for the Trail Blazers. They came out flat, trailed by 27 at halftime and despite a furious fourth-quarter rally, lost another ‘must-win’ game, their second in as many nights. Wesley Matthews (28 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST) hit a career-high seven 3-pointers and LaMarcus Aldridge (21 PTS, 15 REB, 3 AST) worked hard, but Portland is not going to make the playoffs. Ersan Ilyasova (back) took the night off for the Bucks, who used Larry Sanders (8 PTS, 13 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK) together with Samuel Dalembert (16 PTS, 7 REB) in the frontcourt. Monta Ellis (21 PTS, 9 REB, 8 AST, 3 STL, 3 BLK) flirted with a triple-double and Brandon Jennings (24 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB) was also sharp.